Lighting

   Proper lighting is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for proper green iguana health.  There are two parts on lighting.  The first part is the photoperiod and the second part is UV.

PART ONE:   PHOTOPERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The photoperiod is simply the amount of lighting that the iguana needs.   The iguana needs to have about twelve to fourteen hours of light each day.  This shouldn't be too hard to handle.  When you get up turn on the daytime incandescent bulb.  I personally use reptile bulb that I got from the pet store.  It is an incandescent that focuses light and heat downward to create a nice basking spot.  If you can't get your hands on one, then you can use a regular household incandescent bulb that me and you use in our desk lamps.  Make sure you get the correct wattage.  I get up every morning and I plug in the daytime bulb and at night before I go to bed, I turn the incandescent off.

I also use a Ceramic Heat Emitter by ZooMed.   This is a wonderful and probably the best way to provide heat WITHOUT LIGHT to your iguana.  I use this ceramic heater at night.  NOTE:  THE CERAMIC HEATER REQUIRES A REFLECTOR DOME.  IF YOU PLACE IT IN A REGULAR LIGHT SOCKET, THE HEAT WILL MELT THE SOCKET. 

My schedule goes like this:     In the morning I get up and turn off the ceramic heat emitter and plug in the daytime incandescent bulb.  At night before I go to bed, I turn off the daytime incandescent bulb and plug in the ceramic heat emitter.

Remember to get proper wattages based size of the cage.  A good way to check is to get a thermometer ( no mercury) and place it under the basking spot.  I recommend a Reptile Thermometer that can be purchased at a local pet store.  Another thermometer should be placed in the far end of the cage away from the basking area.  The thermometer at the basking spot should be about 92 to 95 Farenheit.  The thermometer at the cooler side of the cage should be no lower that 75.  The iguana needs a place to warm itself up (basking spot) and a place to cool itself down (cooler side of the cage).  NEVER overheat the cage so that it is 90 everywhere in the cage.  If you do this, the iguana will not have a place to cool itself off. 

I use two REFLECTOR DOMES.  These can be purchased at a local pet store.  They look like upside down bowls that are made of metal.  A bulb or Ceramic Heat Emiter can be screwed in.  I put both of them on top of my iguana's cage and all I need to do is to just unplug one and plug in the other.   One of the domes has the daytime incandescent bulb and the other one has the nightime ceramic heat emitter.  I just simply unplug one of the domes and then plug in the other dome.  These reflector domes are great at reflecting heat and light downward.  Make sure the temperature is not too hot and not too cold.  I recommmend look at Melissa Kaplan's Web Site on Iguana Care.

PART TWO:  UV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UV!!!  One of the most important part of iguana care.  The green iguana needs to have UV lighting.  This can be provided in two ways.

1)  A UV tube.  These can be purchased at the pet store.  They must be for reptiles!!  Even better, get one designed for iguanas!!  I recommend ZooMed Reptisun 5.0!!  You must buy a tube.  Not a bulb.  Many bulbs state that they emit UV.  This is a lie.   Only the tube variety emit UV.  The tube must be placed in a specially designed fixture.  This fixture must be for pets.  It can usually be found at pet stores.  The tube must be able to shine its light down on the iguana directly without interference of glass, plexiglass, plastic, or other things that filter out UV.   Screen wire doesn't effect the UV output and is fine to use.  The fixture should be placed on top of the cage if the top of the cage is made of screen netting.   The UV bulb should be about a foot away from the basking spot or where ever the iguana spends most of its time at.  The bulb should be kept on during the day, 12 hours, and turned off at night.

2)  Direct sunlight.  This is the better way if and only if the following conditions are met.  The iguana needs to get unfiltered direct sunlight.  Screen wire is okay but not glass or plexiglass or plastic.  The iguana needs to be kept in a safe cage or fixture that is escape proof!!!  The iguana may not be allowed to wander around the yard unless you are paying strict attention to your iguana.  Even though the iguana will form strong bonds between him/her and you, it still will "run away."  Therefore you must keep the iguana in an escape proof fixture during sunning.  You must also provide water in the fixture.  The water must be clean.  There must also be a place accessible in the fixture where the iguana can cool off.  This can be done by providing shade to an area of the fixture.  Shade is absolutely necessary.  If the iguana is placed in a fixture with no shade then he/her could overheat and die.   A place to cool off, an escape proof fixture, water, and unfiltered sunlight are all absolutely necessary components to letting the iguana sun bask outside.

    Take the iguana out and place him/her in his/her sunning cage.  Place some water in a dish and provide shade.   Make sure the cage is secure and has unfiltered sunlight.  Take the iguana out on sunny days even if it is not hot.  Just make sure it isn't cold outside.   Several hours of direct sunlight everyweek should be enough.  Take the iguana out often during the summer and try to take the iguana out as much as possible during the winter.  However, during winter times, the opportunities to let the iguana sun bask is less than during the summer if you don't live near the equator.

    If you take the iguana very often and for very long periods of time, the UV bulb is not required.  However if you can't take the iguana out during the winter, use a UV bulb instead.  Look above for information regarding UV bulbs.  Alternate between summer and winter without the bulb and with the bulb.